Question 1

Tell me about yourself.

Accepted Answer

In the blind interview this answer sets the whole conversation, since the interviewer has no file. In the primary interview it shows what you choose to put first. Keep it to 60 to 90 seconds: where you come from, what you do now, and the two or three experiences that pulled you toward medicine. End on the experience you most want them to ask about, ideally one involving service to others.

Question 2

Describe yourself in one word. What is one misconception people have about you?

Accepted Answer

A quick test of self-awareness and how well you know your own strengths. Applicants report (2009) being asked to sum up their strength in a few words. Pick one honest word and back it with a short, concrete example. For the misconception, choose something real and show what people miss when they first meet you.

Question 3

What do you do for fun? What do you do in your free time?

Accepted Answer

Interviewers want to see the person, not just the applicant. One 2010 report describes an interviewer spending most of the time on casual topics like soccer. Name one or two real interests and say why they matter to you. If the interviewer runs with it, let the conversation be relaxed; Temple says it wants to see your authentic self.

Question 4

Why medicine? What makes you want to become a physician?

Accepted Answer

They want a clear, personal reason grounded in what you have seen of patients and physicians. Use one or two moments from clinical or service work, told from the patient's side; the admissions dean advises focusing on the patient's perspective rather than listing shadowing. Then say what about the physician's role specifically draws you.

Question 5

Why Temple?

Accepted Answer

They are checking fit with Temple's mission. Applicants are advised to know Temple's mission well and to avoid generic answers. Tie two or three real Temple features to your own history: the priority on caring for underserved populations in North Philadelphia, learning in real clinics from day one, Temple University Hospital as Pennsylvania's leading safety-net provider, or a dual degree such as the MD/MA in Urban Bioethics. If you ranked a regional campus (St. Luke's or WellSpan), be ready to say why it suits you.

Question 6

What does it mean to be a doctor?

Accepted Answer

A reflective question about the role, not about you. It tests whether you understand the responsibilities beyond treating disease. Give a short, considered view with one example you have seen, such as a physician earning a patient's trust. Temple describes its graduates as clinicians, scientists and changemakers who serve the community beyond healthcare, so a nod to that fits.

Question 7

What specialty, or what type of medicine, are you interested in, and why?

Accepted Answer

They want to see that your interests come from experience, and that you are still open. Name an interest if you have one, say what exposure led to it, and add that you plan to explore. Applicants also report being asked about an area of medicine they would like to learn more about.

Question 8

Tell me about your clinical experience.

Accepted Answer

They want to hear what you actually did and what it taught you. Applicants report (2010) this as a direct question. Pick one setting and one patient or moment. Describe it from the patient's point of view, as the dean advises, then say what it showed you about being a physician.

Question 9

Tell me about your research experiences.

Accepted Answer

They are checking that you understand your own work and can explain it plainly. State your question in one sentence, your own role, one thing that went wrong, and what you learned. If you are interested in the research tied to Temple's 15 centers or the fourth-year scholarly experience, say so briefly.

Question 10

What happened in this class? Why did your grades drop that year?

Accepted Answer

An open-file interviewer may probe weak spots. One applicant reports (2010) a faculty interviewer spending half the interview on grades. Give a short, honest explanation, take responsibility, and show the change that followed with evidence from later terms. Then move on calmly.

Question 11

Tell me about a meaningful service experience.

Accepted Answer

Temple says it looks for a commitment to serving others. This question checks whether your service was real and sustained. Choose one experience you stuck with, name a specific person or result, and say what you learned about the community you served.

Question 12

Tell me about a time you were in an ethical dilemma. What did you do?

Accepted Answer

They want to see how you reason when values conflict, and whether you act on it. Set up the situation briefly, name the competing values, explain what you did and why, and say what you would do differently now. Keep the stakes real but the story short.

Question 13

Tell me about a time you saw someone doing something ethically wrong. How did you approach it?

Accepted Answer

This tests integrity plus tact: whether you speak up, and how. Show that you gathered facts, spoke to the person or an appropriate supervisor respectfully, and followed through. Mention how you kept the working relationship intact.

Question 14

Tell me about a time you failed, not academically.

Accepted Answer

They are judging resilience and self-awareness. Pick a real failure outside the classroom, own your part plainly, and spend most of the answer on what you changed afterward.

Question 15

Tell me about working on a team under stress.

Accepted Answer

Medicine is team-based; they want to see how you behave when pressure is high. Describe your specific role, the moment it got hard, and what you did to keep the team working. Show that you listened to others, which Temple names as a quality it seeks.

Question 16

Tell me about a time you changed your mind.

Accepted Answer

It tests openness to other viewpoints, which Temple lists among the qualities it looks for. Pick a real belief or decision, say what new information or person changed it, and what you did differently after.

Question 17

What is your experience working with underserved groups?

Accepted Answer

Temple places a high priority on training physicians to care for underserved populations, especially in North Philadelphia. Community interviewers want concrete evidence. Give one or two specific anecdotes from sustained volunteer or clinical work with underserved people: what you did, who you met, what you learned. Applicants advise honest, heartfelt answers rather than polished ones.

Question 18

What do you know about the community you would serve here, and how would you get involved?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report community interviewers asking about your knowledge of the local population and why you are drawn to it. Know basic facts about North Philadelphia (or the St. Luke's or WellSpan region if you ranked it) and Temple University Hospital's safety-net role. Research Temple's community engagement opportunities and name one you would join and why.

Question 19

What is the biggest issue in healthcare right now? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

Accepted Answer

This shows whether you follow healthcare and can think about solutions. It appears in many versions in SDN's Temple feedback (fix the system, reform insurance, fund one program). Pick one issue you understand, such as access or insurance, explain it briefly, and propose one realistic change with its trade-off. Link it to something you saw in your own experience if you can.

Question 20

Why do you think one zip code has an average life expectancy twenty years lower than another?

Accepted Answer

A test of social consciousness, which Temple names as a quality it seeks, and of how you think about health beyond the clinic. Walk through several causes, such as income, housing, food access, environment and access to care, and how they interact. Close with what a physician can and can't do about them.

Question 21

How will you contribute to the class?

Accepted Answer

Temple builds a diverse class; this asks what your classmates would gain from you. Name one concrete skill, background or experience and how you'd use it at Temple, in a student group, service program or study group. Be specific and modest.

Question 22

Where do you see yourself, personally and professionally, in 10 years?

Accepted Answer

They are checking that your goals are thought through and consistent with the rest of your story. Sketch a realistic picture: training, the kind of patients you hope to serve, and a personal note. It is fine to stay open about specialty.

Question 23

How do you think you will adjust to the rigors of medical school?

Accepted Answer

They want to know you have a realistic plan for workload and stress. Point to a time you handled a heavy load, the habits that worked, and the support you would use. Knowing that Temple assigns every student an academic coach on matriculation shows you've done your homework.

Question 24

Do you have any questions for me?

Accepted Answer

Asking good questions shows real interest in Temple and in the interviewer. Have two or three genuine questions ready, different for each interviewer: the primary interviewer about the committee or curriculum, the student about daily life, the community member about the neighborhood.

Questions Temple applicants report

Opening

Why medicine and why Temple

Your application

Character and judgment

Healthcare, community and the community interview

Closing